I'm wanting to print from sketch running on ATtiny device on STK600 / AS7 with Arduino environment, but there's nothing listed in the serial port drop-down box next to the monitor button to select.  I don't see how to create or associate a COM port to use as a Console. 

I haven't been successful using the AS7 Terminal feature either.   

Can you point me to instructions on setting this up?  OR, is this not possible with an ATtiny device?

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Does the arduino ide show a serial port?

If I run the Arduino IDE connected to a typically supported board (e.g., the BBLeo I'm using now), yes.  It shows COM5, set to the speed in my Serial.begin statement.  My workaround is to download the sketch to the BBLeo and print from there.  That works. 

If you run Visual Micro connected to a typically supported board (e.g., the BBLeo), does Visual Micro show the serial port as COM5 in the list?

Yep, came right up.  Hadn't thought of trying that.  The serial window has a green Connect, and says 115200, which doesn't match the begin statement.  Seems I can change it to any speed and it keeps working.

Off topic:  What vMicro/Uploader/Hardware Programmer setting would I use to upload from vMicro to the BBLeo?

Some boards use a more advanced usb connection in background and ignore the speed.

nb: In software debug mode, the speed will be fixed. You can override the fixed speed on the vMicro>Debugger menu. Switching the tool bar between Debug and Release should auto switch between debug and no debug.

As for programmer you can choose one for your board if you have a programmer or if your board works like a programmer. Most boards do not use a programmer which means it is just standard usb upload.

The arduino ide shows a programmer is selected but normally to use it you have to click "Upload using programmer".

A few boards do not have serial, they are usually configured to use a programmer by default. Which means you don't need to select one from the programmers list. Your ATTiny might be one of this type.

The ATtiny is hosted by the STK600, running under AS7/vMicro.  We know there's an active COM5 port for Arduino, but back to the starting question...  when I disconnect the BBLeo and reconnect the STK600 the COM box is empty.  Are we making progress? 

Oh yes, so you have to select a programmer for the ATTiny because it does not have a bootloader and does not have a hardware seral connection? Therefore it does not have a COM port.

If I recall the ATIny has few pins and tiny memory. I think a bootloader is over 2k :)

we've been using "AS Device Programming" for Hardware Programmer, which works for uploading & verifying.  The x61 series has serial I/O pins, so it would seem feasible to do serial I/O.  The 861 has 8K of memory, but I'm not using a bootloader.  Not sure how all this applies... just raw info. 

I tried typing COM5 into the serial port box and connecting but console window just says "port failed to open".  There are no COM ports in the dropdown... no change since first post. 

I might be missing something but maybe I haven't been clear.

The ATTiny does not have a serial port therefore it will not show up as a COM port on the windows pc.

Does this make sense?

That's the answer I was looking for.  (Not the ideal answer, but it's the hard truth.)  It means I need to use my workaround of stuffing the test code into a board that does print.  It works. 

Thanks!  We're done.

Yes runt the same code on another board will work :)

If you have enough memory you could use the software serial library and one pin for trace (myserial.println()). For that you need something like an FTDI adapter wihich will connect to a pin on your board > pc usb. That will then show as a serial port.

Yeah, I figured something like that might work, but it's just another rabbit hole to go down... more parts, more code, more time futzing around, more questions.  At some point I just need to get the real code working and move on.  You've helped me arrive at a compromise I can live with and defend.   Tx.